Police fundraiser a click away

Hugh Miller was a city kid who moved to Paxton seven years ago, and while he'd lived and worked as an engineer in places like Belfast and Tai-pei, it wasn't until he arrived in quiet central Massachusetts that he felt he'd fallen off the edge of the world.

But the place grew on him, and today he appreciates and embraces the community that has opened itself to him.

To show that appreciation, Miller has launched a fund drive for the Paxton Police Department on Weblo, a social networking that mimics the game of Monopoly where players can buy/sell/trade property, points of interest, cities and states. He has created a fundraising campaign called ³The Unsung Heroes of Paxton Click-A-Thon (www.weblo. com/property/Regular/Paxton_PoliceDepartment/457101 in an effort to "do my part and pay it forward."

He has purchased the rights to become the "virtual mayor" of Paxton on the site, with the ability to donate virtual property to the police. On the site, he has converted the Paxton Police Station into a "non-profit sanctuary for this fundraising campaign (so that it can be operated year round) and I intend to donate all revenue generated from the 'CLICK' to the Paxton Police."

Miller, a mortgage analyst and a self-described "technology superfreak," said he's adopted the tagline for Paxton: "Where strangers become neighbors, and neighbors become friends." Part of maintaining the town's community feel is a vigilant and well equipped police department, hence the fundraiser, which is only a click away.